CORN CULTURE 49 



amount of moisture. The present tendency is toward shal- 

 low cultivation, though this also must depend on whether 

 the soil seems to pack heavily and become hard under- 

 neath. If it does, the first should be of some depth. The 

 important thing is not to break or injure the growing roots. 

 For a broken root always means loss of vitality and food 

 to the plant. 



From thirty or sixty days after planting, the roots have 

 often spread so far that they meet between the rows, thus 

 occupying all the ground. Especially is this true if the 

 season has up to this time been rather wet. For in wet and 

 loose soils the roots spread out near the surface, while in 

 dry soil they spread less and run deeper into the ground. 



It is evident that deep cultivation after the roots are 

 well spread is injurious. The old method of setting the 

 shovels deep and "hilling up" the corn the last time through 

 is no longer followed in scientific farming. The culti- 

 vations should be shallow. Cultivation may continue with 

 advantage up to the time the corn is tasseling if care is 

 taken not to break the roots. In dry seasons this late cul- 

 tivation is a very great advantage, because it keeps a loose 

 soil mulch, which does much to prevent evaporation of the 

 sub-surface moisture. 



TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION 



1. Examine three different farmers' corn-fields, and 

 see if you can tell whether the last plowing was deep or 

 shallow. How can you tell? Did they "hill up"? Are 

 the fields weedy? If so, what was the cause? 



2. How many times does your father cultivate his 

 corn? At what date does he lay it by? Does haying get 

 in the way of late cultivation of the corn? 



3. Suppose that next season proves to be hot and dry. 

 How should the corn in your vicinity be cultivated? Sup- 

 pose the season should be wet. How, then, should the 

 corn be cultivated? 



